We’re getting closer and closer to Christmas – and with that the eagerly-awaited return of the Premier League. Before we get to enjoy Marco Silva’s Whites getting back to domestic action, some of our readers might still be wrestling with what to get for the Fulham followers in their lives, especially if their fanaticism means they’ve already garnered a hefty selection of Craven Cottage gifts.

BOOKS

Football She Wrote: An Anthology of Women’s Writing on the Game: This collection of women’s football writing was originally published by Floodlit Dreams, founded by the former Observer correspondent Ian Ridley, a few years ago. The chapters are written by a collection of well-known names and new writers, two of which are Fulham fans. We ran an extract from our very own Hayley Davinson last month, whilst Isabella Barker – the inaugural winner of the Vikki Orvice scholarship aged 21 – has a story that might change your mind about Sam Allardyce. Fulham fans can get a 10% discount by using the code FULHAM LILLIES when ordering here.

There’s Only One F in Fulham by David Lloyd: Our much-loved fanzine is sadly no more, but editor David Lloyd has put together a brilliant book on 30 years of the magazine – highlighting the never-dull recent history of our club and Craven Cottage. Lloyd is as passionate a Fulham fan as everybody, but has a great gift to place developments in the context of the illustrious history of London’s oldest professional club – and the book is a must-read for any Fulham follower. David only has a few copies remaining – so get in quick via the TOOFIF website.

Allan Clarke – His Fulham Years by Martin Plumb and Ken Coton: The dynamic duo of Fulham fans, who make up the Ashwater Press stable that has published several superb Fulham tomes, insist that this is one of their last. Many Craven Cottage regulars of a certain vintage insist that Clarke’s departure for Leicester City for just £150,000 in 1968 after scoring 57 goals in a hundred appearances over just two years was one of the club’s worst decisions. This book lovingly tells the story of Sniffer’s Fulham career – complete with photos and reflections from both the man himself and many of his team-mates. The club’s official shop has the final copies of this brilliant book in existence.

Caught in Possession by Jacqueline Button and Lorraine Hughes: Our two favourite bloggers, Jack and Loz, are back with the follow up to their fabulous first piece of Fulham-inspired fiction, Crossing The Line. That story of boardroom strife and training ground intrigue has inspired another foray into the imagined goings on at Craven Cottage. This time the Whites are fighting the drop whilst looking to slay their European demons. I won’t spoil the plot any further but simply suggest you consider adding this to your festive cart over at Amazon.

MEMROBILIA

Championship celebration gifts: Marco Silva’s superb first season in SW6 will live long in the memory and you’ll probably want to have something to recall just how the Whites stormed their way to the second tier title for the first time since Jean Tigana’s team did it. The club shop have a few bits and bobs on sale in time for Christmas, including this panoramic print of the trophy lift, a framed celebration picture or a collection of snaps from the special night at the Cottage when Fulham scored seven against Luton. There’s also the excellent season review DVD, which had escaped my notice at the time.

Legends t-shirts: There are a few festive reductions on a range of t-shirts celebrating some of Fulham’s recent cult heroes. You can recognise that there really ain’t nobody like Tom Cairney, recall the magnificence of Louis Saha, recognise Tim Ream, hail Brede Hangeland or celebrate Chris Coleman – amongst others.

Retro shirts: The club have produced – in collaboration with COPA – a limited number of reprints of cult classic Fulham shirts from down the years. Some of these are still available, such as the terrific 1989-1990 Teleconnect home strip as well as the 2001 shirt won by the Division One winning Tigana team and the clean cut white number that the 1975 FA Cup finalists wore at Wembley. You’ll be very popular if the Fulham fan you know is unwrapping one of those on Christmas Day.Fancy a mug? We’re all partial to a cup of tea or coffee and what better to drink from than something that reminds you of the finest football team in all the land. There’s a collection of historical crest mugs, also available on Fulham’s official website, which is useful because Fulham’s badge has gone through a number of iterations. The 1931 crest has always been one of my favourites, the 1972 badge got us all the way to Wembley from the Second Division, the 1977 effort deserves to be a classic and many of us won’t be moved from the view that the club should never have shamefully ditched the 1995 badge.

THE COTTAGE TOUR

The revamped tour of Craven Cottage is the ideal gift for a Fulham fan as it is an experience that even the most ardent follower of the Whites will not have enjoyed before. Led by Ed Vanson, Fulham have put together a brilliant team of fans who impart plenty of knowledge. The tour starts from the iconic statue to Fulham’s finest ever footballer Johnny Haynes in Stevenage Road before heading inside the stadium to see the dugouts, the dressing rooms and even the Riverside Stand. The ordinary tour is an ideal Christmas – or birthday present – for a Fulham fan. If you want to go one step further, you can book on special tours with cult hero Ray Lewington, who coached the Whites from the Great Escape to Hamburg (twice!) or Division Three promotion winner Terry Angus that will be wonderful events in 2023.